Ted Stevenot

A few weeks ago, the 2014 Ohio gubernatorial race looked like a fairly simple affair.

John Kasich, the incumbent Republican, was set to face off in the fall with a Democrat, Cuyahoga County Executive Ed FitzGerald.

The conventional wisdom was that Kasich was the favorite for re-election, although there was polling out there that suggested that FitzGerald – still a relative unknown outside of northeast Ohio – was within striking distance.